Jake Shimabukuro
The ukulele's Hendrix — four strings doing things four strings shouldn't be able to do.
Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele player from Honolulu, Hawaii. He first came to attention locally in the late 1990s with the band Pure Heart before beginning a solo career, and reached a much wider audience through a video of him performing 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' in Central Park, which circulated widely online in the mid-2000s.
His playing draws on Hawaiian tradition alongside jazz, blues, rock and classical repertoire, using fingerpicking, strumming patterns and harmonics to build arrangements that are usually carried by the ukulele alone. He performs both solo and with a small band, and has recorded original compositions as well as instrumental arrangements of well-known songs.
Jake Shimabukuro at a glance
Where is Jake Shimabukuro from?
Jake Shimabukuro is from Honolulu, HI.
What kind of music does Jake Shimabukuro play?
Jake Shimabukuro is tagged instrumental.
What festivals has Jake Shimabukuro played before?
Jake Shimabukuro has played MerleFest 2026.
Also on these bills
Alison Krauss & Union StationOld Crow Medicine ShowBlackberry SmokeCharles Wesley GodwinMolly TuttleRailroad EarthThe Infamous StringdustersSam BushThe Jerry Douglas BandSteep Canyon RangersJoy OladokunPeter Rowan
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